Invisible Girl, Shed Your Light: Part One
by The-Files-Keeper
Summary: Wendy Marshal is a Slytherin in her fifth year, attending Hogwarts. Her classmates include Severus Snape, James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black and so on. She has a gift that lets her read minds without effort. Her gift makes her a recluse until now.


**Prologue**

I was invisible to him. Severus Snape who thought he saw everyone and everything. But he didn't see me. Every time he was around, his eyes went straight through me. He had eyes for only one red head and a Gryfinndor at that. I have nothing against Gryfinndors. I actually liked them. They were friendly and helpful as long as you didn't glare at them. I'm not even sure Severus knew that there was a red head in Slytherin. Like if someone went up to him and asked I'll bet he would have said no. So I'm a red head same as Severus's precious Lily. No green eyes though. Blue. My mother always said that my eyes were so strong that they could see through walls. It's funny because I always watch. People. They don't see me watching of course.

I'm unnoticeable all the time. No one sees me, not a single teacher in Hogwarts can remember my name other than the headmaster and I'm a colorful person. I mean honestly, how can such a strongly, featured person be looked over. I'm not short. I'm actually very tall. My head looks like its on fire all the time and my eyes are large and bright. How am I invisible to everyone? I'll tell you how. Very carefully.

So I suppose you get who I am. Now you get to be graced with my name. I am Wendy Aravis Marshal. I love to read and am very clever but don't do as well as I should in classes. I can do the spell work and such by myself but during class I can't. I only do well enough to pass. I get along with everyone but I'm hard to remember. Very people will recognize me but they don't know where they've seen me from. Every class I have is with Severus Snape and the other Slytherins in our year. None of them know my name. I share a dorm with five girls and that's okay. They're pretty nice. They call me Marshal. This has worked for five years. It'll probably work all seven.

I have a secret. I have a special magical ability. I can read minds. More like I can hear thoughts. It's like a light buzzing until I strengthen the sound with my own mind. My favorite mind to listen to is Severus Snape's. What an excellent mind he has. It's the most interesting I've ever come across. He is always diplomatic in his mind. But he loses control around James Potter.

What an ass. Potter I mean. He always picks a fight with Severus for absolutely no reason. It isn't fair. He's so arrogant. His mind is filled with Lily Potter, Quidditch and trouble. For instance, Remus Lupin, the only agreeable member of their little group. He's a werewolf, but that doesn't bother me. He's friendly and obviously not a monster. He worries about being accepted in society because of his affliction. All of his friends know and have accomplished becoming animagi secretly and achieved their goal just this year. Most definitely trouble. I should probably tell the head master. Probably. But I like Remus, and his friends make him feel better.

Lily Evans is the most headstrong person. She knows what she believes and wants, so everyone in her way had better move. She knows that James is a complete and total jerk and that he fancies her. She spurns his advances like an angry lion at carrots. It's entertaining when she yells at him and he just looks like a fool around her. I spoke to Lily Evans one time. She's very nice. And drop dead gorgeous of course. She knows that she and Severus Snape are best friends. Severus loved her more than a friend. It was so obvious. All the male Slytherins our age didn't see it. But they're jerks anyways. Big, dumb minus a personality. It's Lucius you have to look out for. He's pretty sly. He's spotted me a few times. He's even acknowledged my existence with a nod. That was before he graduated though. He was here only until my second year which was a relief.

Gryfinndors. I've actually talked to a few. They didn't know who I was so I made conversation. I had a uniform, but they spoke to me none the less. They are courteous and if you are the same you can have a great conversation with them. People talk to me sometimes. About everything. Not that they need to. I already know. They don't remember that they spilled their guts to me anyways. I disappear back into the sea of students without names.

I understand people, they make sense. They're very predictable. They do things that make them feel comfortable. Some times they will step out of that bubble and do something out of character. But it doesn't last. Lily and Snape didn't last either. They didn't date. Because those feelings were one sided and Snape knew it. They would have their falling out and I would mourn with Severus and he would spill his guts about it to me. That's how that event would unfurl because I know myself.

I have protected Snape many times from the Marauders' many plots of humiliation. By blocking them from him during Potions by sitting between him and them on opposite sides of the room. Nonverbal shielding charms are the most effective. I've had to divert them all before by causing a book to turn into a mad duck. They spent the entire class period attempting to capture it rather than add the tip of an Erumpent's horn to Severus's Draught of the Living Dead in Potions. Remus knew that I had done it and gave me a grateful nod. He knows that I do that all the time. He doesn't even dislike Snape. But he won't stop his friends, because they are the only ones he has.

So this is my story. It hasn't even started. These are just essential things that you need to know. It all really started in the library. It was the first time I had every spoken to Remus. He knew that I protected Severus, and he wanted to know some things about it.

**Part One**

I was walking through the fiction section at Hogwarts. It's actually pretty limited. You are probably wondering what kind of books would be in the fictional section at Hogwarts. They're mainly about heroic wizards and made up stories. I like fiction because you don't have to believe it. You can just enjoy the idea. So I was looking at some books, when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. This was unusual. No one has ever started a conversation with me. I always have to talk first.

I turned around slowly, wondering who on earth would want to talk to me when I heard him in my head. 'Who is this girl?' It was like he had spoken out loud but I knew he hadn't. Remus Lupin. He was curious.

"Hello. I don't think I've ever been introduced to you. I'm Remus." He said sticking out his hand. An introduction. Fascinating. Also new. I shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm Wendy." I said looking further into his mind. 'How come nobody has ever even spoken about her before?'

"So, your friends with Severus?" was what he said out loud. Not accusatory. Just curious.

"Not really. I don't have friends." I said before I could stop myself. 'Omygosh, did I just say I don't have friends? Well, it is true. Nobody can remember.' I thought quickly as I watched his reaction to my statement. He raised his eyebrows. He could tell that it didn't bother me and I wasn't complaining. I was just stating a fact. He had me marked in his mind. The first person at this school who would remember me. How interesting.

"Why not?" He asked. I contemplated what I should tell him.

"I am an easily forgotten person. If you asked every teacher in this school my name, they won't know it. As a matter of fact, you are the first person who will remember my first name."

"How do you know?"

"I know people. Because they don't see me, I can watch people easily. I know everyone's business."

"Well, what do you know about me?" he asked obviously testing me.

"I'll start with the basics. You are friends with the marauders. You're a prefect but you don't stop your friends. You don't dislike Severus. You get sick a lot. You worry about where you stand with your friends." I went off what I knew about him. "Your favorite color is blue. Your middle name is John. Your nickname with your friends is Moony. You study a great deal and love to read." He looked impressed. 'How on earth does she know my favorite color and middle name? And how I worry about me and my friends? I wonder if she knows.'

"Are you a stalker or just very observant?" He joked.

"Sometimes I feel like a stalker, the things I learn about people." I joked back.

"Well, since you already know everything about me let me ask you a few questions." I was almost flabbergasted. I knew he was going to say that yet it surprised me anyways. Nobody every asked me questions about myself.

"Alright." He could see how new this would be to me.

"What is your favorite book?" he asked gesturing around him to the shelves that surrounded us.

"Hmmm…. I really like The Wizard Heir Apparent."

"Really? That's one of my favorites too! What is your favorite food?"

"I like French Onion Soup."

"What's your favorite flower?" That one was different.

"I like white roses." We moved to a table as he carefully interrogated me. It was a Sunday and neither of us had anything better to do. I made my first friend at the ripe age of 15. Dinner did roll around eventually. Remus stood.

"I should probably go. It was nice to meet you Wendy Aravis Marshal." He said bowing slightly and mockingly. I giggled.

"Same to you Remus John Lupin." I curtsied. We walked out of the library together and separated when we reached the Great Hall. We reached our respectable tables and I saw Remus talking to his friends quietly. Between him, Sirius, James and Peter, they were all talking about me, the unnoticeable Slytherin girl. They all attempted to indiscreetly glance at me. I looked down at my food to let them get a good look. James said that I wasn't that bad looking. I rolled my eyes. Sirius asked Remus if I had always gone to Hogwarts. The answer to that was taken in confusion. 'She's always been here? No way. I've never seen her before.' Were the general replies. 'Too bad she's Slytherin.' James said. Oh, great. Now you're going to get Remus mad. 'Just because she in Slytherin doesn't mean I'm not going to be her friend.' He retorted hotly. I tuned them out at that point not wanting to hear about it. Severus and his 'friends' sat down a couple feet from me. I listened to Severus's thoughts. He was thinking about the book he had been reading before his friends had interrupted.

I zoned back into myself. I liked making a friend. It felt good. I decided to make more. So I sat and watched Severus until he was going to ditch his friends to go walk by the lake, just like every day. His mind was ready to go. He got up leaving his bulky friends to continue chowing down. I followed him out of the Great Hall and out unto the grounds. 'Here it goes.' I thought.

"Hey, Severus." He turned at the sound of my name. He frowned when he saw me. It was as if I had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"Hello." He said. The first words he had ever said to me. My heart beat a little faster. I had a slight crush on Severus. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?" He took in my uniform seeing that I was in his house.

"No, but you should. I've been in Slytherin for five years." I replied. He wondered about that. He still had never even seen me before, his eyes never taken in my face.

"Really?"

"No, I'm making it up. Of course, really." He pulled himself together.

"Is there something that you wanted?"

"I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Wendy." I said sticking out my hand for him to shake, just like Remus had.

"Severus." He said taking my hand. Tingles shot through my arm. I indiscreetly watched his face, keeping mine blank. His eyes widened a millimeter and his face composed itself a second later. The shock in his mind, however, stayed a little longer. That is what would mark me in his mind. I mentally cheered. 'How did she do that? Who is this girl?' An idea sparked in his mind. "Would you like to walk around the lake with me?" He invited, shyly. He wanted to know me too.

"Sure." I walked closer to him and we began walking around the lake. He asked me a million questions, some of them the same as Remus's. I never asked any questions, because I already knew the answers. The sun began to set. Suddenly I was hit by a strong thought a ways off. 'Wendy?' It was Remus's mental voice. He could see me. He was standing in owlry. He wasn't going to approach me. Not when I was with Severus, but I was obviously safe.

"Wendy?" came Severus's voice into my thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Nothing, you just zoned out for a moment."

"Should we head back?" I inquired after a moment of silence. He realized it was getting darker. He groaned inwardly. He liked walking with me. I smiled slightly.

"Yeah, we probably should. What's your favorite time of day?"

"I like night time."

"Why?" He asked surprised. I seemed like a day time girl to him.

"It's quiet and dark and mysterious." My answer intrigued him.

"There are secrets all around us at night." He said. That was the type of thing that I liked about Severus's mind. It was time for me to ask him a question. Not because I didn't know the answer, but because he should think about it.

"Why do you hang out with those thugs? You are obviously not a thug and obviously don't like what they do. Why are you friends with them?" He thought about it. Then he realized that I didn't want an answer and that I already knew. He realized that I didn't want him to be around them because they were complete jerks. Not just because I didn't like them but because they were up to no good. I could here the cogs twirling in his head.

"So you don't believe the whole pure blood thing?"

"No. It's like racism. Nobody is better than somebody else because of a physical feature. Mudblood is an untrue criticism. A muggle-born's blood is just as clean as yours or mine." I had to show him me. It was difficult.

"That's what I think too." He confessed. I smiled.

"Good." We had arrived in our common room entrance. I gave the password. "Memorabilia." It was obviously late. "It won't do to be tired tomorrow for classes. I'll see you in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Sev." He started at Lily's nickname for him. I hoped she wouldn't mind if I used it too.

"Wait!" he said as I came to the stairs that led to my dormitory. He rushed up to me. "Are we friends?" He asked. I grinned at him.

"Do you want to be?" I asked knowing his answer.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm glad that's settled. Good night, Severus." And I glided up the stairs cheering myself on. My roommates were already up in our dorm reading or getting ready for bed. Artemis looked up.

"Hey, Marshal." My other roommates, Millennia, Gwen and Rosalie said hi as well from their various positions. They were talking about the epitome of teenage girl topics: boys.

"What do you guys think of Avery?" Gwen asked

"He's kinda cute. Brutish, but cute." Rosalie said. Gwen smacked her with a pillow. They all laughed.

"Lysander is pre-e-ty smooth."

"True, he is quite the looker."

"And he's older." More giggles. I realized that these girls were all saying exactly what they were thinking. I was awed that they could be that honest. My thoughts were interrupted by Millennia.

"Hey, Marshal, who do you like?" The girls hushed, curious about what I would say. They had no clue. And then I thought it would be okay to tell them. I had never told anyone before. I prepared myself by pretending to think.

"Weeeeeell, I think Severus is kind of cute." The girls immediately bubbled.

"Snape? He's kind of quiet.

"Yeah! I think he's definitely your type!"

"You should ask him out!"

"That's a great idea! You guys would make an adorable couple!"

"You guys would definitely look good together."

"Well, maybe if he got a hair cut."

"No! The long hair looks good!"

"Yeah, it's like his main feature!"

"Whoa, you guys! He didn't even know I EXISTED until today! Dating is not quite an option yet."

"He didn't know you exist?"

"Do you mean that he just never talked to you before?"

"No, I mean when I caught up with him after dinner he looked at me like he had never seen me in his life. He had no idea that I had been in all of his classes for five years." I laughed. Millennia looked at me curiously. I heard the question in her mind and wondered how I would answer it.

"Marshal, do you have friends?" All eyes were on me again. I flushed a little bit.

"Yeah. There's this guy in Gryfinndor. We've been friends for a while." Yeah, eight hours is a while. A short one but a while none the less

"But any other friends? Like Slytherin friends?" she asked.

"No, not really." We all knew we weren't really friends. Change of subject.

"Which Gryfinndor?" They wanted to know. I flushed again.

"Remus Lupin."

"Ooh, he's cute and quiet too!"

"But he hangs out with those Marauders."

"Ugh, those guys are annoying. Well, Potter is."

"Sirius Black is a different story."

"Yeah, he's supposed to be Slytherin legacy!"

"He's Regulus's older brother."

"The Seeker?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm not usually into younger guys, but he's cute too!"

I listened to their girlish prattle thinking about what they had asked. Slytherin friends. I had one. He had said so earlier tonight. I sighed happily. I changed into my night clothes and got into bed still listening to their girl talk. I realized that it was fun. Girl talk. So I need to make some girlfriends. I had one in mind. My Gryfinndor twin, Lily Evans. She would make a good friend I thought. So I tuned in her mind. She was doing the same thing as me, laying in bed, thinking. She was worried about Severus and his friends. His friends that didn't make any sense with him. They just didn't go together. I felt the same way. Cool. I would talk to her tomorrow in Potions. I slipped into sleep slowly.

The next day when I went to breakfast, Severus was there and he waved for me to come sit with him. He was sitting by himself, his thugs gone to class.

"Good Morning." He greeted me.

"Good Morning." I began nibbling on some bacon. He'd been up late night thinking about who I was.

"How come I've never noticed you before?"

"Don't feel special. Nobody has ever noticed me." With one exception of Remus. "I'm basically invisible unless I speak to you. My roommates call me Marshal because they can't remember my first name. I'm very hard to remember." He frowned.

"How come I remember you?"

"I marked your mind. By shaking your hand, I made you truly curious. By spending time with me and asking me questions instead of you just talking. You know me and therefore remember." I explained. "Nobody has ever asked me questions about myself until yesterday." He looked confused now.

"But, don't you have any other friends?"

"No, not really." People kept on asking me that and I kept my answer. "Remus Lupin marked me in his mind yesterday too. We were in the same section in the library." He didn't like that. His brow furrowed darkly. He sat in thought for a while and I ate in silence. I checked my watch after a minute. "Come on, we're going to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts." I got up grabbed my bag and set off with him catching up with my sudden movement.

"Do you always move so swiftly?" He joked, over my friendship with a marauder.

"I've never had to wait for anyone." I smiled back. I knew he would come with me, but it made me sad that it upset him.

"Haven't you ever gotten lonely?" Severus said obviously thinking about Lily.

"Not really. You would appreciate the perks of being by yourself. Lots of silence." I said. It wasn't an insult.

"Have you ever noticed that you say insulting things but you don't mean for them to be insulting?" He asked suddenly. I was prepared for that one.

"Of course. I don't like having to filter or make things sound better than they are. Not everything that is supposed to be bad is always so."

"That barely makes sense." But he knew exactly what I was talking about. As a matter of fact, I had opened many doors in his brain by saying such things. All the new possibilities were making him excited. I smiled a crooked grin.

Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't very interesting. We were just doing book work. Severus sat next to me and made a fly buzz annoyingly around my face with his wand to end the boredom. I pulled out mine as well and turned his hair dark purple. He stifled a laugh and had a look of wonderment on his face. 'She knows how to turn hair different colors. I barely mastered that one.' He thought. I self taught that one for fun. He transfigured my quill into a large slug. I almost squealed out loud from laughter. He was impressed that I didn't scream. He was testing me. I turned his ink bottle into a tarantula. He looked disgusted but not afraid. 'Ew.' I did laugh at that one. He turned my book into a small bird. It bit my hand and flew around the classroom. I turned his into a bat. That one hissed, bit his hand, and then flew away.

We turned various things into animals for twenty minutes. We were testing each other and didn't realize we had an audience.

"Mr. Snape and Ms. Er-"

"Marshal. " I said with a sigh, realizing that we had gotten caught. I was surprised we hadn't before then. The room was full of creatures.

"Well, Ms. Marcella and Mr. Snape, I would truly appreciate it if you would stop turning my class room into the Forbidden Forest. You will both stay after class to transfigure all these animals back to their original forms along with detention with me tomorrow at eight. Do not be late." Professor Crabtree warned. We wore solemn faces for the professor, but on the inside we were howling with laughter.

"You students aren't buckling down enough. Your O.' are coming up this year and are any of you spending time studying? No." he lectured. "Oh, and Mr. Snape, your hair is purple." On that happy note the bell rang, but Severus and I had to remain to capture the animals and turn them back. Everyone left carefully as to make sure that nothing escaped. Professor Crabtree left as well, as to stay out of our way. When the door had closed, we burst out laughing. It was so hilarious. We fell on the floor laughing till our sides were stiff. I sat up, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye.

"That was way too much fun." I said. "Your hair looks great that shade." I started to giggle but reigned in the urge.

"I might have to return the favor." He threatened brandishing his wand wickedly. I held my wand at the ready. He was totally going to turn my hair blue. But instead he just chased me around the room with his wand. I screamed delightedly. In the end he tackled me. We were laying the ground laughing again tangled up in legs and arms. When the laughter died down he got up and held out a hand for me to take, still grinning. I realized I'd never seen him so happy. His face glowed and he looked like an angel. An angel with purple hair. I giggled at that thought. I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. The familiar tingles shot through my arm. I realized that we were really comfortable with each other. Like we had known each other our whole lives. I grinned widely and openly at the thought. He was thinking the same thing.

"We should probably start to straighten this up or we'll be late for potions." I said reality coming back. He nodded still smiling and we began to transfigure everything back. When we were finished, we headed towards the dungeons at a quick trot knowing we were going to be late anyways. The bell rang as we reached the last stair case. We ran down the stairs, heaving our bags over our shoulders. We reached the door and stopped in front of it, attempting to catch our breaths.

"Ladies, first."

"No, he doesn't like me I'm afraid. No talent you see." I smiled sardonically. Slughorn is the only teacher in the school who takes favorites. It is really maddening listening to his thoughts. Severus nodded his head understanding. He opened the door and swept in.

"Severus!" Slughorn boomed. "My dear boy, you are late!" He didn't even notice me. I just slipped to my work area and sat by myself as usual. Until Severus slid in the chair next to me.

"Sorry, Professor. It won't happen again." He said in a quiet voice. James Potter in the back snickered. I turned his tie pink. Severus saw it and chuckled under his breath. James looked down at his tie and jumped up yelping.

"My tie! It's pink!" He realized that he had the whole class's attention and turned a dark shade of red.

Everyone laughed but no one knew who had done it. It obviously wasn't Severus who had everyone's eyes. Except for Remus who had seen me do it. He caught my eye and waved merrily, laughing at my trick. Snape saw what I was looking at and his look darkened. This was seen by Remus who frowned as well. The fact that Severus had sat next to me at all was a surprise to him. I turned my focus to the goal of the day. Lily Evans. She sat in the opposite corner from James, still smiling at his tie. Slughorn laughed as well, looking around eagerly, to see which of his favorite's handiwork this was. He spied Lily grinning in the back.

"Ms. Evans, surely this was your doing?" He smiled approvingly.

"No, sir."

"Don't be so modest, that was very careful aim."

"Honestly, Professor, it wasn't me. Not that I don't condone it." Everyone giggled at her remark. Severus elbowed me in the ribs.

"Not talented, my foot." He whispered. I grinned back. Then he spoke up suddenly. The idea had just popped into his mind, so I didn't have time to stop him.

"It was Wendy, sir." I kicked him so hard he gasped in pain.

"Are you alright, Severus?" Slughorn said concerned for the pained expression on Snape's face.

"Yes, but it was Wendy who changed his tie."

"Wendy?" Slughorn looked confused. 'Who on earth is Wendy?' he thought. He scanned the room with his eyes looking for an unfamiliar face. His eyes went right over me. Remus and Snape had looks of disbelief on their faces.

"There, sir." Remus said with a flat tone, pointing across the room. Slughorn followed his gaze and spotted me.

"Oh! Sorry, my dear, I didn't see you!" I looked at Severus pointedly. Slughorn looked surprised to see anyone even sitting where I was. I blushed because everyone's attention turned to me and me alone. For the first time ever. They began to applaud my wand work. They wondered how on earth I could even see James' tie from where I sat. I'd never had more than one person's attention at a time. Lily clapped the loudest. I realized I wouldn't have to approach her. Because she wanted to talk to me after class. Hmmm. The noise died down after the excitement gradually and I whispered to Severus while no one was looking.

"Did you really have to do that, Severus?" I hissed. 'Yes.'

"Yeah. Wendy, you are talented. You need to show-off a little bit." Meanwhile, Slughorn was disregarding the event. 'Lucky shot. Most likely didn't even try to turn his tie pink.' I frowned at him. He must be upset that he had no clue who I was. I decided to work extra hard to show him that I did have talent that day in Potions. By the end of class he had a strange look in his eye. 'Perhaps I was wrong. Finished her potion perfectly. Must observe more carefully.' I smiled secretly to myself, a little bit glad that I had some of his attention. It was fun messing with people. I wasn't really used to people thinking about me. Making them change their minds was interesting.

After Potions, I walked towards the Great Hall slowly, with Severus in tow, waiting for Lily to catch up. Severus watched me quizzically, wondering why I was lollygagging so. Lily plucked up the courage to walk up next to me.

"Hey, Sev." Was how she started. I waited patiently.

"Hi, Lily.' He said delightedly.

"Hi, Wendy. I don't think we've ever met. I'm Lily Evans." She said stopping to shake my hand.

"I'm Wendy Marshal." I said taking her hand. She was pleased that I was friendly.

"So, how come I've never seen you before?" she asked puzzled. It alarmed her that we had a class, but she had never seen me before. Severus answered for me.

"Wendy's unnoticeable. I didn't even know she existed until she introduced herself to me yesterday. She's friends with Lupin." He babbled, but looked pointedly at Lily when he mentioned Remus. She rolled her eyes, recalling his theory that Remus Lupin was a werewolf. Or evidence. I remembered when James and Sirius had tricked Severus into going to the Shrieking Shack to see what was at the end. I shivered, thinking about how close he had been to being bitten or killed. James impressed me by going into save him, realizing that Severus could get killed. The air had gone tense so I made a light comment.

"Gee, Sev, you haven't told her my middle name or my favorite color yet." Lily giggled while his pale face flushed a light pink. We fell into a momentary silence.

"Congratulations on the wand work today. Potter deserved it. He's such a scum-coated wart." She said very fast, frowning at the thought of James. But she was nervous about talking to me. It was very strange. She wanted me to like her so all three of us could be friends. Especially Severus who needed some good Slytherin friends. Apparently I qualify under that category. Who knew?

"Thanks. He snickered loud enough that people in France could hear him across the channel. He's an arrogant toadstool." I said agreeing with her earlier statement. She liked my description.

"What do you mean you're 'unnoticeable'?" She asked confused. Somebody had to have seen me.

"People don't see me. It's like my image is erased from their memories. Remember Slughorn's reaction to my name? That's how it is normally. Teachers never know who I am. I've had to explain a few times that 'yes, I am in the correct class.' It's taken some convincing. But it only happens once or twice a year. After that they just ignore me altogether. Same with everyone else. It's rather unnatural. But I like it. I can just watch people and learn without pressure." I explained to her. The look of shock on her face increased as the information went through her head.

"That must be difficult! Isn't it depressing when people forget you?" She asked, interested.

"Not really." I said answering both her questions. "I'm also like a therapist. People talk to me about their most secret problems. It's not like they remember. But I know everything about everyone."

"That's very weird. Have I ever talked to you before? Wait, how did Sev remember you? Will I remember you?" She took a breath to ask more questions, but I stopped her.  
"It is very strange. No, you have never spoken to me before, not until today. Severus remembered me because when I introduced myself I really shocked him that he had never seen me before after being in the same house, having the same classes everyday for five years. He wanted to know more." I told her, lying about what intrigued Severus. The spark that passed through us was still a private thing. "You will remember me because I have marked you mind as well. I caught your attention by turning Potter's tie pink." We had reached the Great Hall, none of us wanting to part. Lily got the idea.

"We can grab some food and eat it outside together." She suggested. Severus and I nodded in agreement and we went to take some sandwiches and some pie to go. We went out by the lake and enjoyed our lunch with Lily still asking me questions about myself and being unnoticeable. Time passed quickly and it was time for Severus and I to go to Arithmancy. We bid Lily farewell and headed to class.

"You got along really well." Severus observed. "Even though she is in Gryfinndor." He was trying to get my views on inter-house relationships. I shrugged.

"I get along with anyone who's friendly." Was all I said. He thought about that for a long time. That was when Remus showed up. He walked up behind me. But he didn't address me.

"Hello, Severus. Is it alright if I steal Wendy this class period?" He asked courteously. Severus seemed reluctant, but he grudgingly nodded. He sped up and walked ahead of us.

"Well done." I said referring to his interaction with Severus. "Very smooth."

"Thank you. So are you and Severus friends now? I assumed so since you've appeared to be attached at the hip all day long." Remus said with humor. I laughed lightly purring inside with pleasure that he'd been watching.

"Yes, I introduced myself after dinner, on the grounds." I said knowing that he had seen that. I braved an unpredictable sentence. "You two would be great friends if you could both let go of the past." How wonderful it would be. Severus, Remus, Lily and I.

"I know."

"Well, I'm glad that you've acknowledged it."

"You are very good at accepting things aren't you?"

"Oh yes. Very little surprises me." You'd be the same way if you could read minds.

"How come?"

"I know what to expect out of people. We're very predictable."

"Except for you."  
"Me? I'm very predictable."

"No, you're not. You always say what you think and never ask questions and really mean it. Questions are always expected."

"Why ask when I already know the answer?"

"And you always seem to know."

"What?"

"Everything." No, just what you're thinking. There is a difference. You just can't ask me things that you already know yourself.

"Honestly, Remus, I hardly know everything. If I knew everything I would get better marks." We chuckled lightly at my remark.

"Fine. Then you know everything about people."

"But even then, some people hide things deeply in their soul. I can't see the things that they won't acknowledge." Remus looked at me. He got a strange look on his face.

"Well, what am I hiding?" He looked at me, measuring my reaction. He saw in my face no surprise from his question. As a matter of fact, I looked like I had been expecting.

"What's the point of asking that question? Like I said, I know people." I said confirming his fears.

"Why are you still walking with me? You should be running away in fear!" he said in an intense whisper.

"Same reason Sirius, James, and Peter still hang out with you. I am your friend. Your furry little problem doesn't affect who you are, Remus. Just your opinion of yourself and days where there is a full moon." He thought about what I said.

"How did you know."

"I'm so good at reading people, you could say I could read their minds." We arrived at the classroom and took a seat with Remus staring at me with the most befuddled expression on his face.

"Are you implying that you can read minds?" he whispered hoarsely.

"I'm glad you catch on fast. Otherwise this would be much more difficult." I replied.

"How does it work?"

"I can see images or thoughts on the surface of your mind. Whatever is fresh in your mind, I can see. I mainly focus on your moving thoughts. Like what comes to your mind on what you see."

"Do you hear everyone at one time?"

"No, or else I'd be in some muggle asylum by now. It is mainly a faint buzzing. I just focus on one person so I can hear their thoughts. The closer I am to you the higher the frequency." Professor Galleta walked in after I uttered this sentence, and we had to talk in whispers for the rest of the hour and a half. He asked me if I could hear his thoughts.

"Yes."

"What am I thinking?" I narrowed the focus of my mind. He was thinking about yesterday when he had walked up to me in the library. Before hand, he had watched me enter the library and he followed.

"You're thinking about when you followed me to the library yesterday. I didn't know you followed. Just that you showed up behind me in the fiction section. It's all about how you pay attention."

"So you really can. That changes things."

"What exactly?"

"Like you don't know."

"It's still polite to ask." He was thinking that he was going to half to be more careful with his thoughts around me from know on. He laughed at what I had said. Class went by and it was time for Charms. Slytherin had Charms with Ravenclaw so Remus bid me good bye at the door. Severus was leaning against a wall waiting for me to exit. He watched Remus's retreating back before turning his attention to me. 'Marauder. Werewolf. Why is she friends with him?'

"Hey, Sev."

"Hi, Wendy."

"How was Runes?"

"Pretty good. I translated four pages of ancient text."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. How about Arithmancy?" He wanted to know what it had to do with Remus. But that was my business, so too bad.

"Oh, same old, same old." I replied cheerily. He raised his eyebrow knowing that I knew that he wanted to know. My cheer disappeared and I reflected his face. Except mine was more 'If you ask that question you aren't going to get an answer, no matter how much you pry.' He sighed, knowing that this was a battle he would not win. We walked to Charms, with friendly chatter.

Lily met us at dinner and we all ate outside again. It was just warm enough for us to endure it. This is how it was for a while. My different friends would meet me before classes I had with them and would switch off walking with me. Mainly between Severus and Remus. Lily and Remus were alright with sharing me, but Sev and Remus just clashed. The weather got colder and Lily, Sev and I could no longer eat outside. Quidditch season came around with Gryfinndor in the lead and Slytherin following only one step behind. The rival game wouldn't come until Spring. My ring of friends were growing closer and closer everyday. I kept my secret from Lily and Severus until December. So many times I felt should tell them but so many times the little voice in my head told me not to. I couldn't see why. It didn't really make sense.

So in early December, Severus, Lily and I were sitting in the entrance hall talking when we started talking about my perception. Lily's description of it was it was like I could read minds. It was then that I decided to enlighten them.

"Well, hypothetically speaking, if I could read minds there would have to be limitations. Such as distance and number of minds that I could read at once. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Like the closer you are the clearer your thought is. And that all thoughts that I don't- didn't focus on were just like an annoying fly in my head. Buzzing." Severus and Lily watched me as I explained how I could read minds. The lights blinked on simultaneously.

"You actually can? Is that how you know everything about everyone?" Severus whispered.

"Yeah, pretty much." Lily seemed more skeptical.

"But you've been hearing our thoughts all along. How could you not comment on them?"

"Practice. I hear more than a thousand thoughts everyday. I have disciplined myself well enough that I don't always say everything on my mind."

"What am I thinking?" Severus was thinking about cursing James off of his broomstick. My mouth curved.

"You're thinking about cursing James off his broomstick next Quidditch match. Unfortunately, I don't think you'll get away with it." Lily laughed outright at this. We joined her momentarily, because Severus had to get over his shock. They interrogated me about my endowment and how I had kept it hidden. They eventually got used to it.

Christmas and the New Year came and went. I went home to a small village by the sea to spend some time with my mother and sister. My sister, Jeannette Charlotte Marshal, was a squib. She was 13 and attending a muggle public school. My father walked out before I was even born. My mum is the strongest person I know. She's loud, kind and fun. The village we lived in was full of gifted people similar to myself. We had 2 prophets, a telekinetic, and several intuitives (people who can control emotions). Nobody knew that they had a mind reader among them. We had population grand total of 78 resident wizards and witches. I was the only person there attending Hogwarts. Jeannette had to ride a bus to the nearest city to attend school. My family knows of my gift. They've grown adjusted to it over the years. It's not like we argued or anything, considering how mellow I am. Sometimes I even had to play referee between my mother and sister, knowing exactly what to say to calm them down. But those arguments never lasted long. Jeannette takes after our dad and has long brown hair, blue eyes and an athletic figure. The piercing blue eyes are the one trait that we share with our father. Mum has the red hair, but with brown eyes. I look like her in some ways but not many.

So after the winter break, I went back to school. Remus nearly plowed me over with a hug because he was so glad to see me. He immediately stepped back surprised at himself and his display. Lily was the same, but less embarrassed about hugging me. Severus just crept up behind Lily and shyly greeted me. We all slipped into our studious habits, getting prepared for our O.W.L's.

One Saturday in February, I ran into Remus again in the library. He seemed to have been looking for me.

"I want to show you something." He said to me. The shrieking shack was visible in his mind.

"Why do you want to take me there?" I asked frowning. 'I want to you to see where the experience is.'

"Okay." I got up. "But I have to go get my winter things. They're in my dormitory." I said getting up.

"That's alright, I can wait. I'll meet you in the entrance hall." So I went quickly to get my things and met him in the hall, according to plan. We walked out into the snow thinking about where we were going. Remus levitated a stick from the melting snow to press into the knob of the tree. We walked the length of the tunnel and reached the house. I wandered around and looked at everything examining everything from the torn furniture to the paw prints on the floor.

"You don't seem to be afraid at all." He commented eventually. "Just fascinated."

"That's about sums it up." I replied, bending down to pick up one of the broken off chair legs. We sat down eventually leaning against the wall on the floor just talking for hours. We got into personal matters like my family and how Remus became a werewolf. And in due course, he kissed me. What a strange experience. I saw it coming, of course. I wanted to know exactly how I felt about Remus. I can read other people's minds, but not my own. How odd that sounds. But we were talking about my father walking out and for the first time I showed anger at anything. I was furious at my father for leaving my mum. But the anger toned down to melancholy. Remus looked at me with his sad brown eyes, when the intent showed in his eyes. He timidly kissed my lips and carefully touched my face with his finger tips. It only lasted a second. 'No spark. Too bad.'

"Me neither." I replied to his thought. The relief showed on his face.

"That is very convenient, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"It certainly saved us from a lot of awkwardness."

"You could say that again. Now we can just going on being best friends." He grinned at my saying out loud that we were best friends. He was obviously unsure of where we stood.

"What's Severus like?" He wanted details. He was so inquisitive about Sev. I told him all my favorite things about Severus. He smiled when I told him about a memory that I loved, absorbed in my joy of having friends. We spent another hour in the shack talking, when we decided it would be best if we went back for dinner. When we reached the end of the tunnel, sun had set and it was just barely light enough to see. We hiked up to the castle and when we entered the Great Hall, Severus's head snapped up. He had been looking for me. And he was furious that I showed up after hours with Remus. I frowned hearing this in my mind. Remus turned to say goodbye. The farewell caught in his throat at the look on my face. But I put on a smile and said:

"See you later, Remus." He got the message not to ask me about it.

"Yeah, later." I walked over to our table, prepared to deal with Severus. I sat down next to him and we ate in silence for several minutes. He was boiling quickly underneath the surface and it got stronger with each bite that he took. He got angrier and angrier every second.

"Just spit out whatever you want to say, Severus." He looked up at me guiltily, knowing that I knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"What have you been doing all day with him?"

"Talking. We hung out in the forest." I lied knowing that if I said that we were in the Shrieking Shack, he would think that I was lying about the talking. Which I was. Never in a million years would I tell Severus that Remus had kissed me. He was insecure enough.

"Why are you friends with him?"

"Same reason I'm friends with you. He's a good person who deserves good friends such as myself. Both of you have associated yourselves with the wrong people. He's just as supportive and kind as you are." He didn't believe that and decided not to go into it more.

"Do you talk to the others?"

"No. Potter and myself could never have a conversation. Sirius Black would be easily bored with me. Peter Pettigrew… well, he's not really a good friend for anyone."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's not friends with Potter just for his company. He wants the protection from the highest bidder. At this school, Potter is the highest bidder."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Not exactly reliable when you need help."

"Do you want to study with me tomorrow?"

"Sure. But I warn you, I'm no good at focusing for long periods of time."

"We'll take breaks." He promised. We met in the common room after breakfast and walked to the library from there. We studied for hours, but it was basically me helping Severus study and just making it stick with me. It was pretty useless, considering I could see the answer in Severus's mind. Eventually, we got up and wandered around the library looking at different sections. I was looking at the spines of books in a small miscellaneous section in the back corner. There was one title that didn't make sense to me. 'Occulemency: Mind-reading Discoveries.' Excited, I picked it up and read the back cover. 'Two obscure branches of magic include Occulemency and Legilimency. They are the art of seeing into the layers of the mind. Both require great discipline and practice. Legilimency is seeing into another's mind. Occulemency is blocking others from your mind. They have both been recently discovered and experimented.' I walked swiftly to Severus, frenzied to show him what I had found.

"Sev! Sev, come look at this!" I whispered when I found him.

"What?"

"Read this!" I exclaimed shoving the back of the book under his nose. His eyes grew wider and wider with each sentence.

"Is it all right if I read this?"

"Yeah, sure, it's textbook material. I can't read textbooks, they're far too boring. Tell me what you find out when you're done." We were both too excited to get back to studying. Severus wanted to read the book, so I left the library heading back to the dungeons. As I rounded a corner, I ran directly into the headmaster. I literally barreled into him and fell back onto my back, while he somehow remained standing.

"I'm sorry, Miss Marshal. I didn't see you coming." He had a strange look on his face. As if it were strange that he hadn't seen me coming. He bent down to pick up my books rather than just whipping out his wand and levitating them into my hands. He held my books with one hand and used the other to pull me to my feet. When I focused my mind on him, I met a brick wall. But it fell away. The headmaster was utterly bewildered. He knew I was in his mind without his permission. He couldn't stop me either. He gave me a probing look that matched with him attempting to return the favor. He couldn't enter my mind. Now he was looking at me with awe and confusion.

"Miss Marshal, will you accompany me to my office." He turned, going in the opposite direction than he had intended to go originally. He knew I would follow. I was curious because now his walls were enhanced. So I left him to his private thoughts and didn't listen in. We reached the Gargoyle that blocked the entrance. I had never been inside the headmaster's office, but knew where it was and what it looked like.

"Fizzing Whiz bees." We went up the moving staircase in silence that wasn't awkward at all. He went around to his desk and motioned for me to sit in the chair that sat across from it.

"So. Miss Marshal, are you aware of the science of Occulemency?" I decided to be truthful.

"Honestly, sir, I came across the term just today in the library."

"Then I suppose that you came across Legilimency as well."

"Yes, sir." His piercing eyes were frustrated that he couldn't hear my thoughts to know whether or not I was lying. I reassured him.

"I don't make enemies, professor. Just really good friends." He looked at me with an amused look on his face but he obviously wasn't reassured.

"Did you know that you are gifted with both Legilimency and Occulemency?" I got an excited look on my face. It matched my insides.

"Do you really think so?" My face shined with the hope that I might have some normal magical talent. His eyes glittered, realizing that I was honest with him and that I was one of the few Slytherin's who actually liked and appreciated him. I realized that I didn't even need the advantages of Legilimency and Occulemency on my side. I could read people like open books anyways, no matter how hard they try to hide it.

"I have never met anyone who could block me out of their mind like you just did. I don't mean to sound rude but being a rather talented wizard myself, my ego was hurt by that maneuver. An untrained schoolgirl block a powerful wizard as me? Impossible." He chuckled at his own ignorance. I smiled diplomatically.

"Well, sir, if it makes a difference, nobody has ever attempted to block me." He laughed some more.

"Don't worry, Wendy, I am not that trivial."

"I know, sir. But I can't have you thinking that I am arrogant. That just won't do." I replied letting out a small giggle at the look on his face. "You aren't used to people working on what you think of them, are you sir." It was a statement, not a question.

"This is a rather unusual experience." He admitted. He was thinking about how I could read him without interrupting his thoughts. He looked even more interested in me. "You can tell what I'm thinking without using Legilimency, can't you?"

"Pretty much."  
"I suppose after hearing others thoughts for a while and connecting their facial expressions with what their thinking could become quite easy."

"That about hits it on the head, sir."

"I must admit, it is frustrating not knowing whether you mean exactly what you say."

"Then maybe you should try and learn to connect facial expressions to certain feelings and thoughts." I suggested politely.

"That most certainly would be helpful." The headmaster pondered this briefly. He was going to try it later. Another thought seemed to occur to him. He was interested in why I was so different from the other Slytherins. He had several theories but he wanted to know which one was correct. I didn't wait for him to ask.

"Professor, I understand people. They make sense. They're predictable and easy to hurt. Like I said earlier, I'm not interested in making enemies. Watching people is like reading a story. You can guess the factors and the outcome, but you might be off. Watching people and learning about their jealously and pain and anger fascinates me. I control every emotion I feel. I don't lose control, because I could say something truly hurtful. Regret is my least favorite emotion. I do the smart thing when I'm angry and reign it in because getting loud and shouting won't get me anywhere. Besides, what's the point of arguing angrily when it can be solved peacefully and through compromise? Other than when it's necessary? The only person I ever get truly angry with is myself." He sat taking in all that I had said with surprise. Another person that was fascinated by me.

"You have a very deep way of thinking, Miss Marshal."

"I like to think so."

"I have never had such a capricious conversation in many years. It was quite enlightening."

"Your welcome." He smiled again. Our meeting was over. He wanted to sit and mull over everything that I had said. Besides, it was dinner time. I stood up. "If you'll excuse me, sir, it is time for dinner and I have an appointment."

"Yes, Wendy, we can't have Mr. Snape getting anxious, can we? He might weaken his health with worry." I smiled, glad that he was observant. Then, for the first time in a while, I had a question.

"One more thing, sir. If you have been so perceptive of my doings, how come you haven't discovered my talent before now?"

"I don't tend to invade other peoples' privacy unless it's essential. The only reason I attempted to today, was the fact that your mind didn't pass in my mental radar. I never run into people when I round corners like that, because I see their mental auras coming."

"Oh." I hadn't thought of that. I would have to try that.

"Good evening, Miss Marshal."

"Good evening, Professor." I replied as I walked out the door. I thought about everything that Professor Dumbledore had said. I had left him with more to think about than he had left me. He was completely unaccustomed to that feeling. I smiled crookedly to myself. I was keeping him on his toes. I walked through the halls to dinner and very suddenly I was in the Entrance hall. I reached Severus sitting in our usual spot at the Slytherin table. He had the Occulemency book propped up against a gallon of pumpkin juice.

"Severus! Guess what I found out today."

"That you are actually gifted in both Occulemency and Legilimency?"

"Yes! I ran into Dumbledore and he tried to enter my mind. But he got blocked out and his wall fell when I returned the favor. He took me to his office." I explained everything that had occurred. When I had finished, Severus had a grin on his face.

"I do believe you have shaken our headmaster, Wendy. That is so typical. It shouldn't surprise me, really." I rolled my eyes. But I agreed.

"What else did you learn from that book?" I asked.

"Well, what you can do isn't really mind reading. Mind reading is a myth. You are just really in tune with what everyone around you is thinking about. You basically know everything about everyone because you see right through them. Isn't it funny how you see right through people and they literally see right through you?" He chuckled dryly. "I want to learn how to use both." Severus said suddenly. I knew that but he had to say it anyways.

"I'll help you learn. But you're going to have to teach yourself the basics."

"You can come with me to the library after dinner, so I can learn more." He was hopeful. But I put my foot down.

"No thanks. I have to finish some of my homework and maybe study a bit more."

"Alright." We ate and made comments on what we were thinking. We talked about the pros and cons of Legilimency. There were most definitely more pros. Severus finished and headed off to the library.

I stood and made to follow him out of the Great Hall when I noticed Remus flagging me down to get my attention. He and Lily wanted to hang out for a while with me. I waited for them to catch up.

"Hey Wendy."

"Hey Lily. Remus. I got some really interesting news today. But we have to move out of range of other people's ears." So we went and found a classroom that was not in use and I told them of what happened. I finished and Remus was deep in thought. Lily was interested and asked a few questions.

"Being able to read minds is an actual branch of magic?"

"Apparently so."

"You must be really talented, Wendy." Remus interjected.

"That's what Dumbledore said. I think I actually knocked his self-confidence down a bit." I smiled guiltily.

"Think? You know you did."

"So? I'm not going to make it sound like I'm bragging about it."

"Yeah, but the power of your talents needs to be noted."

"Touché." Lily smirked.

"Why are you two even arguing about this? It's completely futile for you to bicker with her, Remus. You can't win."

"It's pleasurable anyways."

"You have a strange way of enjoyment." I commented.

"True." We continued talking for maybe an hour and then had to go to our respectable common rooms. I wandered the hallways, detouring back to the common room. I eventually arrived in front of the entrance, giving the password. I slowly progressed to my dormitory, not thinking about anything in particular. Severus was still in the library and would remain there until it closed. I smiled to myself, endeared by my quirky friend's habits. Suddenly there was something poking into my mind. Not strongly. It was a light prod. Just testing. I quickly determined who it was coming from. I dropped the wall. 'Severus, get out of my mind.' And with that, I raised the wall again. He didn't waste any time on getting started. Severus was delighted that he had gotten in. He had been working on it since he began reading that book this afternoon. He was trying random people, and finally accomplished it by trying me.

I shook my head and went to bed. My roommates were in and not paying attention when I entered.

More time went by. March and April passed in a blur of studying and classes. Severus was gradually getting better at the mind arts. He was almost as good as the headmaster. The exams were coming up, fast and frightening. I was studying harder than ever and barely saw Lily and Remus. Fortunately, we had a few classes together otherwise we wouldn't have spent any time together at all.

In late May, a student gave me a note from Dumbledore telling me that he wanted to see me in his office at 8 o'clock.

"I don't mean to offend you, Wendy, but I have decided that it would be best if you took your O.W.L exams in a Legilimency proof room. By yourself. It isn't really fair that you can read other student's minds."

"Excellent! I was hoping I wouldn't have to ask. I don't think I would be able to resist if given the opportunity." The headmaster looked relieved. I smiled at his obvious respite. "You didn't expect that did you, sir."

"You always take me by surprise, Miss Marshal."

"It's healthy. Besides where's the fun in life if you always know what's going on?"

"Indeed. Miss Marshal the other topic I wanted to talk to you about would be Mr. Snape. Try to guide him away from trouble. He has so much potential and it could fall into the wrong hands. Teach him right from wrong."

"What do you think I'm doing, sir? I've always known the value of Sev's potential. But guiding him from the wrong hands might not be so easy. The prospects are pretty gruesome looking."

"Thank you, Miss Marshal."

"Good night, Professor. " I walked back to our common room slowly detouring and moving as quickly as a hinky punk with two broken toes. I muttered the password when I reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room and saw Severus sitting at a table studying.

"Hey, Sev." He looked up.

"What did he want?" I told him what was to be done about my exams. He raised an eyebrow.

"He wasn't accusing me of being a cheater. It's his job as headmaster to make sure all students achieve on the school's terms. It was just a precautionary measure that he has to take. Quite frankly, I agreed with him. I am not to be trusted." I joked and Severus broke into a grin. Severus had been getting better and better at the mind arts. Unnaturally good at such a fast rate. He appeared to have a hang of them.

For the next 2 weeks, we were studying harder than ever. And suddenly it was the first day of the exams. Then the second, and the third. The fourth, however, was possibly one of the worst days. I was having a large amount of trouble with the last three questions on my Charms written exam and was a bit delayed. I went out into the entrance hall from my broom closet and looked for Sev. He wasn't there, but everyone seemed to be heading outside. It was a beautiful day after all so I followed them. Lily was sitting by the lake with Mary McDonald and Potter, his cronies and Remus were seated beneath a tree. James was showing off his nicked- snitch by making amazing catches with it. I went to sit by Mary and Lily. Lily had introduced Mary to me several months before. We were friendly enough. There was a commotion coming over from the tree where Potter sat. We all looked over there and what we saw was not good. Snape was dueling James. I tuned into Snape. His mind was white hot with anger. There was no stopping him from something he might regret. Lily was rising to her feet almost as angry as Severus. I made to stop her, knowing that she couldn't help. But then I knew it was no use trying to stop her either. I could just sit and watch the events occur. And I couldn't even do that. I made a decision. I called to Professor Dumbledore with my mind. I broke down his barriers and used Legilimency to send him a message. 'Sir, please come quick! There is a big problem down on the grounds! Help!' Then I tuned back into the current situation. Just as I did, I heard one distinctive word come from Severus's mouth and it made my blood run cold.

"-Mudblood-!" Oh no. Lily's heart turned to ice. I sat back and covered my ears with my hands. Who knows how long I laid there staring at the sky with my ears covered and waiting for this to end. Maybe an hour later I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked around, uncovering my ears and saw Professor Dumbledore looking grave.

"Wendy, it's over." A tear escaped my eye. I shook my head.

"No. It's going to affect Sev for the rest of his life. He's lost Lily. Probably for good. Sir, that event has probably changed the future for the worst. Severus won't let anyone in for a long time. Not me or anybody. I can't fix this." Dumbledore looked surprised.

"Have you always been able to fix things?"

"Only things that were important."

"Wendy. Wendy, listen to me. You can't always fix things. That is the way life goes. Bad things happen, and you know that better than anyone. But fixing them is impossible almost every time. The fact that you haven't hit those snags yet is alarming. You have been able to know exactly what to do. This is an experience that will get you ready for life. The wider world." I nodded, for once coming away with more than him.

"Thanks, Professor." I didn't feel any better. Dumbledore looked worried about me. I smiled weakly. "Don't worry about me. It's Severus that we have to worry about. He might go back to old habits and rejoin his old group of friends. And there's nothing you or I can do about it." I said bitterly. We walked back to the castle in silence. I went back to my common room to look for Severus, knowing exactly what would happen next. Strangely enough, he wasn't there. I tuned my mind to his. He was outside the Gryffindor common room. Trying to get Lily to forgive him. I doubt she will even come out to talk to him let alone forgive him. But I sat and waited until he showed up at about midnight. He looked dreadful. His face was drawn and tight with self hatred. He didn't see me.

"Severus." He turned.

"Wendy, just- just leave me alone." He turned around and continued walking.

"You can't walk away from your problems."

"Yeah?" He turned shouting. "Well, I can walk away from you!" and with that he stormed into his dormitory. I wasn't abashed or stricken. I didn't think too much about Severus's outburst at all. He needed me and he was angry and scared. I went up to bed and fell into a troubled sleep. But before then, I made a choice. I wouldn't read other people's minds. I didn't want to know what people were thinking. It was just too emotionally stressful. And with that I deposited my power in the back of my mind. The soft buzzing that often filled my head, was now gone. Too far away to hear.

The next day Severus didn't talk to anyone. James jeered at him when the chances came around, but Sev ignored him. I tried to talk to Lily. I knew what would happen next.

"You're just going to take his side aren't you? Aren't you? You're another Slytherin. You don't know what it feels like to be looked down at! You don't know what it feels like! Just because I'm not pure-blood! So just go away, Wendy. I don't want to hear it." At that point, I went outside to sigh with frustration. I laid down in the grass by the lake and watched the clouds roll by. The exams were over and done with and we all had free time. I didn't know what to do.

"Wendy? Is it okay if I join you?" It was Remus. The only friend I had left.

"Hey, Remus. Sure." He sat down next to me, examining my face.

"Wendy, I'm really sorry."

"What for? You didn't do anything."

"Exactly. I didn't do anything. I should have stopped James." I looked at Remus strangely.

"Of course there was nothing you could do. There was nothing I could do either. We couldn't have stopped it."

"Are you sure? Because I feel like this is somewhat my fault."

"Trust me, Remus. This wasn't anyone's fault. It was an event that couldn't be stopped unfolding." I looked at him my head filling with my own emotion. "Remus? Could you do me a favor? Just hug me for a minute. I really need a hug."

"I can do that." He pulled me into his arms and held me while I breathed hard taking control of this pain. He kissed my hair and told me it would be alright. I felt better a couple minutes later and pulled away.  
"Thanks, Remus. Don't ever forget me okay? When we leave Hogwarts? No matter what happens, don't forget me."

"I won't." We spent the day outdoors, just enjoying each other's company.

"I've given up my powers."

"What?"

"I've rejected them. I don't want it anymore. Feeling the pain of the people I care about around me hurts. I can't do it anymore."

"How did you get rid of it?"

"I didn't get rid of it. I just pushed it away. I'll use it again one day. Just not anytime soon." Remus thought about it. We sank back into our silence. The day turned darker and cooler.

"I love you, Wendy." He meant the best friend kind of love that boys don't normally admit to.

"I love you too, Remus." We got up and walked to the castle to eat dinner. More like I told Remus to go eat and I wandered through the corridors. And as I rounded a corner I saw Professor Dumbledore at the end, looking at me oddly. He saw me on his radar. He turned around in a way that meant I was to follow him back to his office. He arrived and waited for me to catch up.

"Wendy, have you rejected the mind arts?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand knowing anymore. I don't want to know what everyone is thinking. It's too hard."

"Okay."


End file.
